Wrong Impression
by keem
Summary: L gets it all wrong. LxNaomi.


**A/N: **There's a shortage of L-Naomi fics on here, so I thought I'd go ahead and write one. This didn't come out the way I had originally intended, but I'm pleased none-the-less. Enjoy. R&R.

--

well i love the way we communicate

your eyes focus on my funny lip shape

let's hear what you think of me now

but baby don't look up

(the sky is falling)

- Tori Amos

--

**Wrong Impression**

--

"Naomi."

The dark-haired Japanese woman pivoted on her doorstep, gazing upon the face of her companion, the bizarre and elusive L. He was stooped slightly, his posture reminding her unpleasantly of Beyond Birthday. She knew that the killer had imitated _L_'s mannerisms, and not the other way around, but she couldn't help but be bothered by it somewhere in the back of her mind.

"Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to take you out," L continued, in a voice barely above a murmur, "to… properly… thank you for all your help on the case."

_Or recruit me for a new one, _Naomi Misora did not say. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Well, the least I could do was consent, after bodily hurtling you down a flight of stairs." This was only a half-truth – the request had been an unusual one on L's behalf, and Naomi had agreed mostly due to her own curiosity. It struck her as strange that the mysterious L would want to meet her now, in such an alarmingly public place. (The first time had been more understandable – no real proper introduction, a glance and a failed attempt at contact.) She wondered if the alabaster-skinned man had an ulterior motive in asking her to meet him again.

L's hand roamed the flat of his stomach, as if remembering how he had landed. "I probably should have announced my intentions first, or at least bothered to properly introduce myself beforehand," he told her, dark-rimmed eyes boring into her own. His unyielding stare was a little bit unnerving, a little serial killer-ish itself, she thought uncomfortably. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not very well-versed in… social mannerisms."

_Yeah, I can tell._

"You did fine," she told him gently. "Thanks for taking me out. I've never had Mexican before."

"Enchiladas are delicious, are they not?" Naomi wasn't exactly sure how he could make this assessment; the only thing she saw him eat the entire meal were three helpings of deep fried ice-cream. She did not bring any of this up, however; she simply nodded dumbly and waited.

She was still waiting for him to tell her just what was up. L had an ulterior motive here, and she knew it. The fact that he had taken her out to 'properly thank her' was bullshit, and they both knew it. Her _real _thank you had been the generous amount of yen that had been deposited in her bank account, several days prior – although it had been done anonymously, the source had been obvious. L had something else in mind here, and although he had not shown her what it was over dinner, she was sure that his revelation was imminent: all she had to do was be patient—

--Except now they were lingering at the doorstep, and L was simply watching her just like she was watching him. There was an awkward silence that lingered between them – awkward because he seemed perfectly content with just staring, and because she kept expecting him something to say. Could it be possible that she was wrong about all this…?

_No, no, that can't be right. This is extremely out of character for L. Or is it? Can I really say that? I mean, I hardly know anything about the man at all. Aside from this, the only contact I've shared with him was through a computer… yet still…_

Maybe this had been a test or something. Maybe, in meeting up with Naomi, L had been trying to assess her more personally and make a decision based on that. Perhaps she had failed this… this, well, whatever _this_ was.

_Yes, that must be it_. Defeated, Naomi sighed and rummaged for her keys in her purse. "Well, uh," she said, pulling out the keychain with a jangle of silver. "Thank you, again. I.. I, uhm, well I guess I should be going now…" Growing hot with a sudden onslaught of embarrassment (_worse yet, what if she had not failed, but had interpreted it wrong all along? Perhaps he really _was_ just trying to be nice to her, was that really so hard to comprehend?_), she turned away to open her door.

"Naomi, just another thing."

The dark-haired FBI agent twisted back from the door handle questioningly, just in time for L's lips to catch hold of her own. Her mouth went slightly slack in surprise and L seemed to take this as a sign of consent, an invitation to explore her further. Her eyes grew wide as his tongue gently traced the inside of her mouth.

At some point during all this, his hands had reached up, seizing her by the shoulders lightly. This was very well and good, because the spontaneity of his sudden advancement had left Naomi quite unstable on her feet. She swayed slightly beneath his grasp, staring down at the bridge of his nose as he continued.

_What the…?_ She thought, intelligently. Followed by: _No… no way…_

So L _did_ have an ulterior motive. It just hadn't been one she could have foreseen.

And then it struck her. _Raye_…! With a little bit more force than what should have been necessary, Naomi put her hands against the younger detective's chest and pushed. The force of her shove caused him to stumble backwards unsteadily on his feet, nearly falling off the edge of her front steps before she lunged forward and grabbed him.

"I'm sorry, I… I did that a little more forcefully than I intended…" She felt herself flush with color. "But L, I'm _engaged_."

"Ryuuzaki," L corrected, and Naomi merely gaped at him. The detective was blushing himself, a faint smear of pink smeared across his otherwise pallid features. "I apologize, Naomi. As before, I probably should have announced my intentions first." He stuck his thumb in his mouth and began to chew his nail.

Naomi stared.

"It's just that… all night, I have been thinking about how very much I would like to kiss you."

_So this… this was supposed to be a _date_? _The mere suggestion was staggering. She continued to gape at him for several more seconds, watching as he grew increasingly more uncomfortable. He was chomping on his digit so intently now that it was a bright, angry red.

"L.. R-ryuuzaki… stop that." She batted his hand away from his mouth. "I-I'm sorry… I don't mean to embarrass you or anything I just… I think there has been a misunderstanding here. I thought you were trying to _hire_ me. I didn't realize this was supposed to be… a… a…"

L nodded mutely. "I understand. That was… inappropriate of me. I have only succeeded in making a fool of myself." He turned away from her and began to make his way down the steps of her apartment.

"Ryuuzaki… wait!" Naomi threw her hand out uselessly, but he was already on the street. He turned back to look at her expectantly, and she saw that his thumb had once again been re-inserted into his mouth.

Naomi tried to smile. It came out more as a grimace. "I'm… I'm flattered, you know. The world's greatest detective…" She trailed off, looking uncertain. L nodded and turned to go.

Naomi watched him as he made his way to the corner, where the idling Rolls Royce was waiting for him. An elder British gentleman got out, opened the door for L, and ushered him inside before sidling back into the front. As the car gently eased its way away from the curb, Naomi felt a long-surprised shudder finally come into fruition.

She absently raised her own finger to trace along the part of his lip where he had initially kissed her. Although she knew it was wrong of her to think this, she couldn't help but feel as though she had just kissed Beyond Birthday and not L himself. L's attempt had been hopelessly futile from the start, engagement or not. She knew it wasn't fair, but she couldn't help it: L, to her, would always be an imitation of the former, not the other way around.

Perhaps B had beaten him in some way, after all.


End file.
